The Pittsburgh Pirates added fifth round outfielder Will Taylor and seventh round left-hander Connor Wietgrefe to the Bradenton Marauders roster on Tuesday, with both players making their pro debuts.
Taylor, starting as the designated hitter and batting second, went 0-for-3 with a walk. He had two balls in play that were hit at 95 MPH. The outfielder from Clemson has above-average speed and the potential for above-average defense in center, with the chance to make average contact.
Wietgrefe threw a shutout inning in the sixth inning, allowing one hit, no walks, and striking out three. He threw nine sinkers, sitting 93 MPH and touching 93.8. The pitch had one whiff on four swings, with another called strike. His four-seam had one whiff and one called strike on five pitches. Wietgrefe threw four sliders, getting one whiff on one swing, along with a called strike. The pitch sat low-80s with an impressive 2766 average RPMs. He also threw two changeups in the upper-80s.
The slider was graded as Wietgrefe’s best pitch, and his fastball was graded average, due to sitting low-90s. It seems that grade would tick up a bit if he’s pitching as a reliever. His improved control in 2024, and assortment of pitches would warrant a look in the rotation.
To make room for the new additions to the Bradenton roster, the Pirates sent outfielder Solomon Maguire, catcher Miguel Sosa, and shortstop Jeral Toledo to the FCL roster.
Maguire, one of the top international signings in 2020, had a .625 OPS with six homers in 180 plate appearances this year in Bradenton. Sosa was added to the roster as depth, after putting up an .802 OPS in the FCL. He had a .670 OPS in 68 plate appearances with the Marauders. Toledo had a .620 OPS in 239 plate appearances for Bradenton this year.
